search

Search the National Library's catalog - books, newspapers, journals, photos, maps, music, manuscripts, radio/TV and more, both physical and digitized. Digitized text (OCR) is matched too by default, so a query can surface newspaper or book pages that mention a term even when it's not in the title.

Signature: search(q: string, required; media_type: string, optional, default None; language: string, optional, default None; county: string, optional, default None; year_from: integer, optional, default None; year_to: integer, optional, default None; digital_only: yes/no, optional, default False; sort: string, optional, default None; page: integer, optional, default 0; size: integer, optional, default 10; limit: integer, items, optional, default 25; offset: integer, items, optional, default 0)

Direct GET

For navigating agents: open the HTML page with parameters in the URL. The result is fetched and displayed without screenshots or form filling.

Open this validated HTML GET URL

https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search/?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0

Replace {q}, {media_type}, {language}, {county}, {year_from}, {year_to}, {digital_only}, {sort}, {page}, {size} with values. Remove unused optional parameters from the URL.

For software and dashboards: Read the operation descriptor. The JSON GET template is https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0. Open this exact request as JSON.

ParameterRequirementJSON typeDescription
qrequiredstringFree-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
media_typeoptionalunionRestrict to one type, e.g. aviser (newspapers), bøker (books), tidsskrift (journals), bilder (photos), musikk, kart (maps), film, plakater (posters), noter (sheet music), radio, fjernsyn. See get_aggregations(q="*", group_by="mediatype") for the full list with counts.
languageoptionalunionLanguage filter - values are inconsistent in the catalog (mixes codes like "nob" and labels like "Norsk bokmål"); check get_aggregations(q=q, group_by="languages") first if unsure.
countyoptionalunionNorwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
year_fromoptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
year_tooptionalunionRestrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
digital_onlyoptionalbooleanOnly items that have been digitized.
sortoptionalunionOne of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
pageoptionalintegerZero-based page index.
sizeoptionalintegerResults per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).
limitoptionalintegerGateway page size; default 25, maximum 100.
offsetoptionalintegerNumber of list items to skip; default 0.
Generated JavaScript, Python and response structure

Use JSON when the user requests code, machine-readable data, value extraction or further computation. Use the HTML GET page to identify the correct source and verify parameters.

Example for generated JavaScript and Python

https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0

Replace URL placeholders and remove unused optional parameters.

JavaScript in a dashboard

const url = "https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) {
  const failure = await response.json();
  throw new Error(`${failure.error.code}: ${failure.error.message} ${failure.suggestion}`);
}
const result = await response.json();
const data = result.data;

Python without additional packages

import json
from urllib.request import urlopen

url = "https://allemannsdata.com/wiki/api/v1/kilder/nasjonalbiblioteket/search?q={q}&media_type={media_type}&language={language}&county={county}&year_from={year_from}&year_to={year_to}&digital_only=false&sort={sort}&page=0&size=10&limit=25&offset=0"
with urlopen(url) as response:
    result = json.load(response)
data = result["data"]

Response structure

{
  "source": "nasjonalbiblioteket",
  "operation": "search",
  "parameters": {},
  "data": {},
  "entities": [],
  "_meta": {"retrieved_at": "...", "sources": [], "cache": {}},
  "_links": {"self": "...", "source": "...", "wiki": "...", "feedback": "..."}
}
Form for manual use

The form is a fallback for people and browser agents that cannot open the GET URL directly.

Type: string. Free-text query. Supports field-restricted terms too, e.g. "subject:fiske year:1970" combined with free text.
Type: string. Restrict to one type, e.g. aviser (newspapers), bøker (books), tidsskrift (journals), bilder (photos), musikk, kart (maps), film, plakater (posters), noter (sheet music), radio, fjernsyn. See get_aggregations(q="*", group_by="mediatype") for the full list with counts.
Type: string. Language filter - values are inconsistent in the catalog (mixes codes like "nob" and labels like "Norsk bokmål"); check get_aggregations(q=q, group_by="languages") first if unsure.
Type: string. Norwegian county name, e.g. "Troms", "Oslo".
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: integer. Restrict to items published/issued in this year range (inclusive).
Type: yes/no. Only items that have been digitized.
Type: string. One of date, title, otherid, firstDigitalContentTime, optionally suffixed ",desc" (default: relevance).
Type: integer. Zero-based page index.
Type: integer. Results per page, 1 to 100 (default 10).

Result

Source: National Library of Norway. Retrieved 2026-09-28T06:41:06Z in 0.246 seconds.

total:
3166
page:
0
size:
10
items:

10 results

  1. id:
    4515f0bf023432a067785b79fb1cf201
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020031648029
    title:
    Studia : moderne kunnskap for alle : Kultur, sport og teknikk
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2002
    publisher:
    Bertmark Norge
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. bøker
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    bokhylla
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NORWAY
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2020031648029_C1/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/4515f0bf023432a067785b79fb1cf201
  2. id:
    a655cced28c38953341f646d4d7d569d
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025012880004_007
    title:
    Birkebeiner'n : offisielt magasin for Birkebeinerrennet AS og Birkebeinerrittet AS. 2010 Vol. 22 Nr. Birkebeinerrittet
    creators:

    2 results

    1. Birkebeinerrittet
    2. Birkebeinerrennet
    year:
    2010
    publisher:
    Sport media
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025012880004_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/a655cced28c38953341f646d4d7d569d
  3. id:
    112367b337a784fa9fa7922c7d047adb
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880066_006
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2019 Nr. 63
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880066_006_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/112367b337a784fa9fa7922c7d047adb
  4. id:
    81baa42cd309150e308e8a61be760499
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880066_007
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2019 Nr. 64
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880066_007_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/81baa42cd309150e308e8a61be760499
  5. id:
    2cb90c872f15f66d19843e8e6f445cd4
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025060380010_005
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2019 Vol. 72 Nr. 73
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025060380010_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/2cb90c872f15f66d19843e8e6f445cd4
  6. id:
    d2dfb9ddf763219274b83ae9932e7aa0
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025060480052_003
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2018 Vol. 71 Nr. 84
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2018
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025060480052_003_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/d2dfb9ddf763219274b83ae9932e7aa0
  7. id:
    a186bb960afb48483dce8db22ebaf17c
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880059_005
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2019 Vol. 72 Nr. 16
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880059_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/a186bb960afb48483dce8db22ebaf17c
  8. id:
    6f256e9be828f7f06099f70efc9ccd43
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025060480052_008
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2018 Vol. 71 Nr. 89
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2018
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025060480052_008_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/6f256e9be828f7f06099f70efc9ccd43
  9. id:
    91863ab6042422f5182b40ef912ca045
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880059_006
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2019 Vol. 72 Nr. 17
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880059_006_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/91863ab6042422f5182b40ef912ca045
  10. id:
    fc3d3998e7472ffc05d2e4dde3dabbad
    urn:
    URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880064_005
    title:
    Tips (Drammen. 2016) : sport & spill. 2019 Vol. 72 Nr. 39
    creators:
    not reported by source
    year:
    2019
    publisher:
    Tips gaming
    media_types:

    1 results

    1. tidsskrift
    languages:

    1 results

    1. nob
    county:
    not reported by source
    digital:
    yes
    public_domain:
    no
    license:
    copyrighted
    viewability:
    NONE
    access_allowed_from:
    NB
    thumbnail:
    https://www.nb.no/services/image/resolver/URN:NBN:no-nb_digitidsskrift_2025061880064_005_0001/full/0,128/0/native.jpg
    viewer_url:
    https://www.nb.no/items/fc3d3998e7472ffc05d2e4dde3dabbad
limit:
25
offset:
0
returned:
10
has_more_results:
yes
truncated:
yes
next_offset:
10
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Continue exploring

How an AI agent should use this page

Ground rule: Navigate with HTML GET links to keep explanations and relationships. Use the page's JSON alternative only when concrete values must be extracted, compared or computed.

How to use the search lookup

  1. Replace the placeholders in the HTML GET template; remove optional parameters you do not need.
  2. Check types, units, limits and ID formats in the parameter table.
  3. Follow linked results to canonical pages before combining sources.

Misreading to avoid: An empty list means "no results for this lookup". An error message or unavailable source does not mean the data does not exist.

Source-specific next step

Go to the source page for other operations. Use the JSON template only after the HTML result shows that the parameters and source are correct.